IVA, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Three people were displaced following a late-night house fire in Iva, according to the Anderson County Fire Department.
According to fire officials, the call about the fire came in around 11:23 p.m. Sunday.
Fire officials said crews with Iva, Grove and Starr fire departments were called to a home on Elberton Highway.
Three people were inside the home at the time of the fire, but were able to safely get outside. They were not injured, according to fire officials.
Fire officials said the fire took about 30 minutes to extinguish. However, the home was destroyed.
The cause of the fire is believed by investigators to have been some type of electrical problem, fire officials said.
Homeowner describes the fire
The homeowner said she first noticed an electrical smell before opening a door and finding flames.
“When I opened the door which wasn’t hot, flames come flying out,” she said. “And I screamed the house is on fire, get out get out.”
She said the fire spread rapidly as she left the property.
“As I was pulling away from the house with my car, the back glass exploded,” she said. “The side of my car just melted. The house was on fire, the yard was on fire, the porch was gone and the flames were jumping into the bed of his truck.”
Community responds
Neighbors described the displaced couple as longtime community members with ties to a local church.
“Scottie and Debora have lived here forever,” one neighbor said. “They go to church here in town, and she does a lot of cooking and stuff for the church.”
Neighbors said they are organizing a fundraiser for the family. A drop-off location for clothing and other donations has been established, and Bethel Church is also collecting items on the family’s behalf.
The homeowner said several former youth sports players she coached responded to the fire.
“The kids that were on my ball team, three of them was fighting that fire,” she said. “I can’t begin to thank people enough for all they’ve already done.”
She said the experience has underscored what matters most.
“You don’t know what you’ve got until you lose everything and then you realize the true treasures in life are the people you know, the people who reach out and hold you when you’re scared,” she said. “That is the way 99% of the people are in Iva.”
Fire officials also said the home owners are being helped by the American Red Cross.
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